Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Sep 1;9(9):e1060-e1065.
doi: 10.4317/jced.53758. eCollection 2017 Sep.

Distribution of macrophages and plasma cells in apical periodontitis and their relationship with clinical and image data

Stéphane V Azeredo  1 , Sabrina C Brasil  1 , Henrique Antunes  2 , Fábio V Marques  2 , Fábio R Pires  2 , Luciana Armada  2
Affiliations

Distribution of macrophages and plasma cells in apical periodontitis and their relationship with clinical and image data

Stéphane V Azeredo et al. J Clin Exp Dent. .

Abstract

Background: Macrophages and plasma cells play a key role in the regulation of innate and adaptive immunity. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of these cells in apical periodontitis and their distribution comparing with clinical and image data.

Material and methods: Thirty-three lesions were selected and divided in two groups (17 periapical cysts and 16 periapical granulomas). Immunoreactions using anti-CD68 and anti-CD138 antibodies were carried out; image analysis was performed with an optical microscope and 5 high-power fields from each slide were evaluated leading to an average score of immunoexpression. This mean score was compared between the two groups and correlated with the clinical and image data.

Results: There was no statistically significant difference (p >0.05) for the mean average score of CD68+ macrophages and CD138+ plasma cells when comparing the two groups (cysts x granulomas) and the specimens included in each specific group. No statistically significant differences (p >0.05) were also observed when comparing the average scores with clinical and image data.

Conclusions: The presence of CD68+ macrophages and CD138+ plasma cells was similar in periapical cysts and granulomas and the presence of these cells did not correlate with clinical and image data from both groups. Key words:Macrophages, plasma cells, apical periodontitis, periapical granuloma, periapical cyst.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement:The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison between periapical cysts and granulomas. A: CD68. B: CD138. (Mann-Whitney test) (p<0.05).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Periapical cyst. A: CD68+ macrophages. B: CD138+ plasma cells (immunoperoxidase, original magnification, x400). C: tomographic image.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Periapical granuloma. A: CD68+ macrophages. B: CD138+ plasma cells (immunoperoxidase, original magnification, x400). C: tomographic image.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Siqueira JF Jr, Rôças IN. Diversity of endodontic microbiota revisited. J Dent Res. 2009;88:969–81. - PubMed
    1. Rôças IN, Siqueira JF Jr. In vivo antimicrobial effects of endodontic treatment procedures as assessed by molecular microbiologic techniques. J Endod. 2011;37:304–10. - PubMed
    1. Marton IJ, Kiss C. Protective and destructive immune reactions in apical periodontitis. Oral Microbiol Immunol. 2000;15:139–50. - PubMed
    1. Torabinejad M, Kettering JD. Identification and relative concentration of B and T lymphocytes in human chronic periapical lesions. J Endod. 1985;11:122–6. - PubMed
    1. Kopp W, Schwarting R. Differentiation of T lymphocyte subpopulations, macrophages and HLA-DR destricted cells of apical granulation tissue. J Endod. 1989;2:72–5. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources